Easel



Oct. I6, 1931.

F. D. COURTENAY EASEL Filed Feb. 14. 1950 INVENTOR 1L Eede/la@ Y0 7 ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 6, 1931 @UNI-TED STATES PATENT OFFICE FREDERIC D. COURTENAY, OF EAS` ORANGE, NEWJERSEYLASSIGNOR TO EMBOSOGRAF CORPORATION OF AMERICA, OF NEW YORK, Y., A CORPORATION` OF NEW YORK EASEL Application filed February 14, 1930. Serial No. 428,380.

This invention relates more particularly to easels of the type used in show Windows and upon counters todisplay advertising cards or the like. An important object ofthe invention is to provide an improved easel which is designed to'render it eXpansible for accommodating cards or sheets of different size.V

Other objects of the invention will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Fig. lis a front elevation of my improved easel supporting an advertising card, the eX- pansion of th-e easel being indicated by dot and dash lines; l Y x Fig. 2 a vertical section taken on the line 2 2 of Fig. 1,' upon a larger" scale, and with ther advertising card removed,

Fig. 3 a rear view of the eXpansible frame of the easel and its support partly broken away; and i Fig. 4 a detail section taken on the line 4-4 of F ig. 1, upon a larger scale.

The easel' structure includes a hollow base 1 which, in the present instance, is a hollow casting in the form of'avfluted pyramid. Theform of theV base may be varied, how'- ever. At, its apex it is .formed with a vertical squared socket 2; Mounted upon the base is the eas'el'pro'per comprising a cardsupporting bracket which includes a short standard 3. This` standard is square in cross-section and its lower end is fitted in the base socket 2. lA screw 4 is inserted upwardlythrough an aperture in the bottom of the socket and is threaded into the standard to rigidly hold the'latter in place.l `At its upperfend-the 'standard vis formed with three iatfears 5 which'lie in an oblique plane and orm'a support `for the body 6 of the easel. The easelbody comprises two metal .plates and 8,A flat and substantially rectangular. Interpo'sed betweensaid plates along the upper and lower,` edgesy thereofare two straightl parallel spacerV strips 9' and 10.

ySpacedbelow the strip 9, and between the plates are similar parallel'spacer strips 11 and 12.@The platesY are secured to all of said strips byk screws Y13, andthe rear plate 8' bears 'against the ears 5 and is firmly -fastened thereto by screws 14. Thereby the flat body of the easel is supported at the proper inclination.

A show card, indicated at.Cis `adapted to-rest against the inclined front plate 7 of the easel, and a frame bar is mounted upon the plate along the lower edge thereof to supportand frame the lower edge of the card. This frame bari is rigidly secured to plate l7 in any suitable manner and iscut away along its upper edge to form a groove 16 for receiving the edge of the card.

Fork accommodating cards yof 4dilferent size uponthe easel the latter is provided with an expanding frame structure. Said structure includes two side frame ybars 17 and 18 to extend along the opposite side edges of the card. A flatV rack `bar 19is rigidly secured at one end to the frame bar 17 ata'inedial point of the latter, and ak similar rack b-ar 2O is similarly secured to the bar 18. Each rack Vbar. extends at a right angle from its attached frame bar. Rack bar 19 is slidably `fitted within the easel body in the space between thespaced strips 9 Yand`11, and rack bar v20 is slidably fitted inthespace between spacer strips 11 and 12 to mount the rack bars for longitudinal shifting in parallel relation. -f

A pinion 21 is disposed within the easel body at a central point between the rack bars, and meshes with-the teeth of both bars. This pinion is fixed to a short shaft 22 which extends outwardk through y'a bearing aperture in the rear plate 8 and has a knurled operating knob 23 fixed to it at the rear of the easel. When the knob is turned the frame bars 17 and 18 will be shifted equally and in unison to expand or contract the easel ment of the bars is limited by contact of said screws with the outer ends of the slots.

The three frame bars l5, 17 and 18 are longitudinally grooved as indicated at 27 and are stepped or cut back at the ends as at 28 to produce a desired ornamental effect.

This design also adapts the easel to support a card of greater height than the frame Without any appearance ot distortion, as the projecting upper end of the card will appear as a. harmonious extension of the grooved and cut back frame.

My eXpansible easel is designed to be used to particularly good advantage in stores, for displaying published advertisements. Such an advertisement, as it appears in a newspaper or the like, may be mounted upon a card or mat and then placed upon the easel and displayed in a show Window or upon a counter. Many shoppers, whether they have noticed the advertisement in the newspaper or not, will be attracted to a certain department of the store if an advertised special or even an ordinary advertised item is brought to their attention by the attractive display of the published advertisement. It has heretofore been inconvenient to do this however because of the fact that advertisements vary greatly in size, My expansible easel overcomes this diiiiculty in an entirely satisfactory manner. It has a wide range of adjustment and may be readily manipulated to receive cards or sheets of different sizes und rame'them accurately and attractively. The expsnsible easel is also Well suited or other uses.

While I have shown and described a very satisfactory' form of my invention I do not wish to be` limited strictly to this disclosure but reserve the right to make such changes as will lie within the scope of the claims.

What I claim is:

1. A n easel structure for supporting a display sheet comprising a base; a standard supported by said base; an easel body supported by said standard; a bar carried by the easel body to support the lower edge of the display sheet; a plurality of side bars to extend along the opposite side edges of the sheet, said bars being longitudinally grooved along their opposed sides to receive the edges ofthe Sheet; means carried by the easel body supporting said side bars for lateral shifting toward and from each otherl to accommodate shoots of different Width; and means manually operable at the back of the easel body to shift said side bars toward and from each other equally and in unison, and thereby center cards ot different Width upon the easel.

2. An expansible easel for supporting a display sheet comprising a pair of side bars disposed in the same plane for engaging opposite side edges of the sheet; laterally adjustable supporting means for the side bars; a base; a mounting for said adjustable supporting means supported by the base and disposed to support the bars elevated; a single adjusting element operable from a point back of the position of the supported sheet for oppositely shifting said adjustable supporting means and oppositely moving the side bars inward and outward equally and in unison; and means carried by the base for supporting the sheet independently of the side bars, between the bars and in the same plane with them, to thereby position the sheet for engagement oi the side bars with the opposite side edges of the sheet.

3. Anexpansible easel for supporting a display sheet; comprising a pair ot' side members disposed in the same plane for engaging opposite side edges of the sheet; adjustable supporting means for the side members connecting them for lateral shifting inward and outward equally and in unison; a base; a mounting for said adjustable supporting means supported by the base and disposed to hold the side members elevated; and means carried by the base for supporting the sheet i independently of the side members, between said members and in the same plane with them, to thereby position the sheet for eugagement of the side bars with the opposite side edges of the sheet.

4. Ain expansible easel for-supporting a display sheet comprising a pair of side bars for engaging the opposite side edges of the display sheet; means for supporting the sheet between the side bars; a pair of supporting and adjusting bars for said side bars each connected to one of the side bars, extending laterally inward from a medial point of thel latter toward the other side bar and disposed back of the supported sheet, said adjusting bars having rack teeth therealong; an adjusting pinion centrally located between the side bars and engaging the rack teeth of both adjusting bars to shift them in unison in opposite directions when the pinion is rotated; a

mounting supporting the pinion for rotation and the adjusting bars for lateral shifting back of the supported sheet; means back of the position of the supported sheet for turning the pinion; a. base; and means supporting said mounting upon the base in an elevated position with the side bars supported elevated above the bottom of the base.

5. An expansible easel for supporting a display sheet comprising a pair of side bars for engaging the opposite side edges of the display sheet; a pair of supporting and adjusting bars for Said side bars each connected at one end to one of the side bars and extending inward from a medial point of the latter toward the other side bar, said adjusting bars having rack teeth therealong; an adjusting pinion centrally located between the side bars and engaging the rack teeth of both adjusting bars to shift them in unison in op )osito directions when the pinion is rotate an easel body supporting the pinion for rota;v tion and the adjusting bars for lateral sliding movement back of the position of the supported sheet; means back of the easel body Jfor turning the pinion; and means supporting the easel body.

6. An expansible easel for supporting a display sheet comprising a pair of side bars for engaging the opposite side edges of the display sheet; means for supporting the sheet between the side bars; a pair of supporting ,and adjusting bars for said side bars each connected to one of the side bars and extending laterally inward Jfrom a medial point of the latter and toward the other side bar; a mounting including guides located midway between the side bars and supporting the ad- ]usting bars for lateral shifting back of the supported sheet; means to oppositely shift said adjusting bars inward and outward equally in unison; a base; and means supporting said mounting upon the base in im elevated position with the side bars supported elevated above the bottom of the base and inclined to direct the display sheet upward and forward.

7. An expansible easel for supporting a display sheet comprising a pair of side bars fol engaging opposite side edges of the sheet; means `for supporting the sheet between the side bars; adjustable supporting means for the side bars connecting them for lateral shifting inward and outward equally and in unison; a base; and a mounting for said adjustable supporting means supported by the,

base and disposed to hold the side bars elevated above the bottom of the base.

8. An expansible easel for supporting a display sheet7 comprising a pair of sheet-retaining side members disposed in the same kplane for engaging opposite side edges of the sheet; means supporting said members for lateral shifting inward and outward; a base; a mounting for said supporting means supported by the base and disposed to hold the side members elevated; and means carried by the base for supporting the sheet elevated independently of the side members in a position between said members and in the same plane with them, to thereby position the sheet for engagement of the side members with the opposite side edges of the sheet.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

FREDERIC D. COURTENAY. 

